空中英語教室雜誌2009年8月 (P.10)

比利時根特市成了全世界首座推行吃素的城市---當地居民每週有一天會吃素.根特和比利時素食組織攜手合作,把每週四訂為「素食日」。市府官員 以身作則率先響應這項方案,而各級學校則將在今秋擴大推廣設施。

當局鼓勵該市居民簽署同意書,誓言不再週四吃肉和魚類。除此之外,當局還印了約九萬份地圖,上頭標示了市區內各家素食餐館的位置。

根特市之所以會開始實施這項措施,是基於消耗肉類會對環境造成莫大衝擊的相關疑慮。據「聯合國糧農組織」指出,全球排放的溫室氣體中,有約百分之十八是來自家畜。

　素食日對健康好處多多。「法蘭斯民眾肉吃太多了,而攝取的水果卻不夠,這對我們的健康會造成慘重的影響,」市府官員湯姆˙巴塔什表示。

　其他比利時都市也開始對推行類似計畫相當感興趣。

Belgian City Goes Vegetarian by Simon Stopps

The Belgian City of Ghent has become the first in the world to go vegetarian-one day a week.Ghent has partnered with Belgium's national vegetarian organization to adopt Thursdays as "meat-free"days.The program, which begin with city officials, will extend to the schools this fall.

Local residents are encouraged to sign a pledge that they will not eat meat or fish on Thursday. In addition, some 90,000 maps have been produced that highlight the locations of the vegetarian restaurants aroynd the city.

The move was started because of concerns about the environmenal costs of meat consumption. According to theU.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization., livestock are responsible for baout 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

Vegetarian days also have a number of health benefits . "We eat too much meat in Flanders and too little fruit , and that has disastrous consequences for our health," says city official Tom Balthazer.

Other Belgian cities are beginning to show an interest in developing similar programs.